NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Continuing to expand the depth and breadth of expertise in its investment business, global professional services company Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) has hired Michael Hall as West Division Investment Leader.
Hall is charged with overseeing investment advice and implementation to pension plan sponsors and institutional investors in the western United States. He joins Towers Watson after 13 years at Russell Investments Americas, where he was most recently Director of Investment Strategy, focusing on defined benefit pension plans, specifically how fiduciary and corporate decisions impact both the fund’s viability and shareholder value. Prior to joining Russell, Hall, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder, held consulting positions with Northern Trust Retirement Consulting and Buck Consultants.
In addition, the company has appointed several current associates to new and expanded roles -- Matthew Stroud to the newly created position of Head of Strategy and Portfolio Construction, North America; Weston Tompkins, East Division Investment Leader; Marko Komarynsky, Head of Manager Research, U.S.; Diya Luke, New York Office Investment Leader, and Hillary Bolton, Atlanta Office Investment Leader. Hall’s appointment is effective March 1; the others are immediate.
“Michael brings to Towers Watson decades of client advisory experience and a deep understanding of the institutional investment market, which he continually exhibited during our time together at Russell,” said Christopher DeMeo, Towers Watson’s head of investment for North America. “He, Matt, Weston, Marko, Diya and Hillary are highly regarded within the investment community, having helped scores of clients throughout their careers. Their broad understanding of the ever-changing marketplace, and their relationships with industry players, will effectively represent our clients’ interests -- and address their myriad needs -- in this fluid environment.”
In his new role, Stroud, who has 19 years of capital markets and investment advisory experience, will help clients develop strategies and portfolios based on their objectives, consistent with the company’s views on capital markets and investment opportunities. Stroud, Towers Watson’s New York office Investment Leader for the past five years, is a CFA Charterholder and a current member of the company’s Global Investment Committee.
Tompkins, who was Southeast Investment Leader since joining Towers Watson in 2006, will assume the East responsibilities held by DeMeo, who was named to his current position in January 2011. Prior to joining Towers Watson, Tompkins spent 10 years at Hewitt Investment Group; seven years of which were spent as Chair of the company’s U.S. manager research group. Before that, he held analytical positions at New England Pension Consultants and the Principal/EGT. Tompkins is a CFA Charterholder.
Most recently, Komarynsky, who has more than two decades of experience, was Towers Watson’s director of U.S. fixed-income manager research. He joined the company in 2005 as a fixed income specialist, after holding fixed income analyst and portfolio manager positions at EVEREN Securities, Bank of America and Harris Trust and Savings Bank. Komarynsky was also a manager of research at Morgan Stanley Graystone Research.
Luke joined Towers Watson in 2004 as a senior analyst, a post she also held at Mercer. Bolton also joined the company in 2004, as a consultant. She had client-facing roles at Vanguard, Towers Perrin and Mercer.
“These appointments will bolster our already strong investment presence,” said Carl Hess, Towers Watson’s global head of investment. “We look to all of their experience and business acumen to enable us to achieve even greater strides in the extremely important North American market.”
Towers Watson Investment
Towers Watson Investment is focused on creating financial value for the world’s leading institutional investors through its expertise in risk assessment, strategic asset allocation and investment manager selection. It is a division of Towers Watson’s Risk and Financial Services business, has over 650 associates worldwide and assets under advisory of over $US 2.1 trillion. In the United States, investment advisory and investment consulting services are provided by Towers Watson Investment Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Towers Watson & Co. Towers Watson Investment Services, Inc., is a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
About Towers Watson
Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW) is a leading global professional services company that helps organizations improve performance through effective people, risk and financial management. The company offers solutions in the areas of employee benefits, talent management, rewards, and risk and capital management. Towers Watson has 14,000 associates around the world and is located on the web at www.towerswatson.com.